When we got Bear, he was the puppy laying down and eating with his head in the food bowl...we fell in love with him instantly. Little did we know that for the next 13 years and 5 months, we would be the adopted family of a true gentleman and guardian. He watched over us 24/7, and would wake up in the middle of the night to check on each person in the house before he would go back to sleep.

About a year and a half ago, his arthritis had gotten really bad. We did realize that taking him on walks every other day really helped. Then he started losing control of his bowels when he got excited, then it deteriorated to whenever he fell asleep. He gradually lost mobility in his rear legs, and struggled to get up. Although he still got up every night to check on us. Within a few weeks his legs swelled up to twice their size, he began dragging his back paws, and lost most of his control of his back end. We took him to the vet and found out he had lymphoma, and ever single one of his lymph nodes was swollen. The vet prescribed Prednisone because we felt he was too old to go through chemotherapy, but the Prednisone didn't help him.

We had to carry him outside and carry him back in and he would lay in the same spot all day. He lost his appetite and began to rapidly lose weight so we made meatballs with rice for him every day. We knew what we had to do, but couldn't bring ourselves to do it, because although his body was failing, he was still alert and enjoyed being brushed and still talked to us.

Today, February 26, 2005, we made the hardest decision of our lives and the vet came to the house to put him down. Neighbors came to say goodbye, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. We knew we were doing the right thing because this morning he couldn't even pick his head up. He was surrounded by people who loved him and he can never be replaced. He was a true gentleman and was so considerate of other people, and knew when they were sick or upset and wouldn't leave their side. We honestly were blessed to have him in our lives, and our home will never be the same without him.